New legislation is being introduced in Saskatchewan that will require couples seeking divorce or separation to first try reconciling outside of court.

“In the spring 2018 session Government passed amendments to several pieces of legislation to include additional forms of early dispute resolution for family law disputes,” The province said in an email to CTV News.

According to the government, early dispute resolution includes seeking a family mediator or arbitrator, visiting a parenting coordinator and collaborative law services. The goal of this amendment is to encourage early settlement and lessen financial and emotional costs of divorce.

According to the Collaborative Professional of Saskatchewan, couples need to be encouraged to find ways to resolve marital issues that don’t involve resources from the courts system.

“Family law matters, especially those involving children, are not best dealt with through the court process,” said Kayla DeMars-Krentz, out of court divorce lawyer and President of the Collaborative Professionals of Saskatchewan. “Resolving parenting, financial, and property issues in court can be expensive, slow and often provides a resolution that doesn’t adapt as the parties’ lives continue to unfold.”

DeMars-Krentz said it’s important to give the family control over their situation, rather than a third party that may only get a snip of the issues through affidavits.

The Collaborative Professional of Saskatchewan is a group of lawyers, financial experts, social workers and psychologists who have specialized training in helping clients toward the collaborative process.

The collaborative process is a model of dispute resolution, where clients work in a team to keep a dispute out of the courts system.

With files from Cally Stephanow.